Our Strongest Ally
by Beyond the Shadows Edge
Summary: Family; we're stronger together than we are apart. Partially canon AU; Harry/Hermione, Wolfstar (Remus/Sirius). Contains OCs. No flames please but constructive criticism is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Co-authored by Beyond the Shadows Edge and Mad-as-a-hatter1997. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes, we suck! AU NO FLAMES PLEASE. Sorry for replacing the chapter so soon, we noticed some things we wanted to edit. Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter.**

Godric's Hollow was livelier than ever that night. It was Halloween, and everyone was in for a huge surprise. All of a sudden amid the laughter and squeals of frolicking children there was an explosion, people ran to the area only to find it was the Potter's house. The house itself was on fire and debris rained down from the roof which had collapsed inwards.

Two loud cracks echoed through frantic village. Among the frenzy two figures emerged. As they shoved through the hordes of crying people they came upon the devastating ruin of what used to be their father's best-friend's family home. Blasting open the back door what they saw would forever be engraved in their minds; scorch marks littered the hallway walls and strewn over the house stairs was the body of the late James Potter. As the taller girl moved up the stairs the shorter one fell to her knees beside the body, tears crowded her vision as her heart filled with sorrow and her stomach dropped.

The taller girl had now reached the nursery, as she expected Lily was lying dead on the floor. She turned to leave the room when she heard a faint whimper coming from the cot. Walking towards it she found a crying Harry Potter coated in a thin layer of dust. She lifted the struggling infant and cooed at him in an attempt to calm him down. The baby stopped crying, he curled up in the girl's arms and went to sleep. The girl heard faint noises emitting from downstairs, picking her way across the room she headed quickly down to find out what the commotion was.

Nearing the kitchen, she heard raised voices, recognizing her sister's angry drawl she sighed. As she entered the kitchen she found Rubeus Hagrid arguing with her twin Jamie Black. "No you're not taking Harry. I don't care about Dumblydore's orders Harry stays with us and that's how it's going to go." Jamie growled through clenched teeth at the half-giant.  
"I've never seen you before. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Hagrid asked. Gently opening the door so the baby didn't wake Elizabeth Black walked into the room.  
"Jamie… Take Harry and go wait outside." Elizabeth demanded in a dark tone of voice. Jamie quickly took Harry from her arms and made a hasty retreat, knowing not to make her sister angrier than she was. "Hi there. I'm Elizabeth Black and my younger sister is Jamie Marie Black, now let's try and get this mess sorted out in a rational manner. We're taking Harry with us, no arguments. We don't want to fight but if necessary we will use force." Hagrid tried to bargain.  
"Why don't we talk this out? I can ask Dumbledore to hold a meeting and until then I'll take Harry just to ensure his safety." Hearing a quiet snort of laughter Hagrid turned to see Jamie holding Harry close and motioning for her sister to hurry up.  
"More like you'll take him, leave him with some horrid relatives and obliviate us!" In the background an echoed "*cough* Dursleys *cough*" was heard. "I don't give a fuck about Dumbledore and his fucking order we are not letting you near Harry" And with that said Elizabeth motioned to Jamie and they apparated out.

They arrived at their home in the growing dawn light to hear frenzied pacing coming from the living room. The door was flung open and the girls were caught up in a hug that they were sure was intended to crush their ribs. "Dad please you're crushing the baby" Elizabeth gasped in order to make their father calm down.  
"Yeah and don't forget us your crushing my chest dad. I CAN'T BREATH!" Sirius let go of his daughters, thoroughly confused. He placed his hands on Elizabeth's shoulders and held her in front of his body.  
"Baby, what baby? Please tell me neither of you had a baby!" Sirius asked.  
"God no dad we're better than that. We found Harry in the ruin of Godric's Hollow." Jamie stated, her voice shaking.  
"Voldemort. James and Lily?" Sirius' voice shook with worry for his two friends. Both girls cast their gazes at the floor causing Sirius to sink into a chair, grief ridden and cry.  
"Dad… Dad please. We need you to check Harry over to see if he needs a healer. Can you do that for us?" Elizabeth hated to ask their father for something while he was in such pain but neither she nor her sister had the training to accurately assess any damage that may have been done to the child. Sirius sucked in a breath before nodding slowly.  
"Okay. Can you pass Harry to me please?" Elizabeth handed the boy to her father, with a glance down Sirius uttered a few words and frowned. Harry would definitely need a healer to check the any wounds they couldn't see.

Arriving at St Mungo's Hospital they found more than mild panic. After waiting half an hour to be seen Sirius asked what was going on, only to find that the Longbottom's had been tortured to insanity. Frank and Alice's only child had survived and was sat in his grandmother's arms. A healer signalled to Sirius and the girls and they entered an examination room. "Hello I am Healer Brunner. How can I be of assistance?" the man was middle aged with a slowly receding hair line.  
"Hello, I was just wondering if you could check Harry over for us please. He was involved in what we believe was a serious fight." Sirius demanded as politely as possible.  
"Of course." Scanning over the little boy with his wand, what the healer found worried him but he also knew there was nothing he could do. "Well physically he's fine. However, I am afraid that this scar is the product of a rebounded unforgivable curse. The signature matches He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This child is The Boy-Who-Lived."

*Time Skip*

As soon as they exited the hospital Sirius began pacing and muttering to himself, "How could this have happened. The house was protected by the fidelius charm, as long as the secret keeper didn't reveal its location then they should have been safe." Sirius was wracking his brain trying to figure out how the Potters were discovered, he regretted letting them pass him over as their secret keeper. A sudden thought occurred to him; the only person who could have told Voldemort where the Potters lived was the secret keeper, and Sirius knew of only one person the Potters would have chosen instead of him… Peter Pettigrew.

A feeling of uncontrollable rage washed over Sirius. That little rat had betrayed them all, betrayed the only friends he had ever had in Hogwarts. Sirius was going to kill him for what he had done, but first he had to find the hole that Peter had crawled into. "Girls, take Harry home and get some rest. I'm going to talk to Remus, see if we can't figure out what to do." The look that crossed Elizabeth's face at the mention of her beloved uncle broke Sirius' heart and settled his resolve; he was going to punish Peter and then return to his family and finally tell his stupid mutt of a best friend that he loved him.

Sirius watched as his two daughters - his pride and joy - disapparated in front of him, not knowing that would be the last time he saw them for twelve years. He closed his eyes as he disapparated and ended up in Remus Lupin's tiny single bedroom apartment, "Remus, old friend, I'm sorry to have to tell you this. James and Lily, I'm sorry they're… Oh god" He looked to his friend as for the first time that evening he finally allowed himself to completely break down. He felt the scent of the man he loved encompass him and allowed himself to be comforted. The fact that he could hear Remus sobbing into his hair was mentioned by neither man. Suddenly Remus asked.  
"Harry, what about Harry?" the look of pure panic broke something inside Sirius and he replied.  
"He's with the girls. He's safe, he's okay… or rather he will be." Remus quickly gathered his coat and shoes and floo powder as he kissed his best friend on the forehead and left to see his soon to be children.

"The rat, I have to get the rat. I'll avenge you James" Echoed around the now empty apartment as Sirius allowed his anger to consume him. He left on foot, plan in his head.


	2. Chapter 2

**MUST READ FOR STORY TO MAKE ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER: SCRAP ALL AGES OKAY? IT'S NOT WORTH THE MENTAL HEADACHE. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT DON'T READ THIS STORY! Sorry for replacing the chapter again, we had a slight breakdown over ages and we fixed it later in the story but not in the earlier part.**

Remus stumbled through the fire to find the sisters sat down together, Jamie hugging one of James' old jumpers and Elizabeth rocking Harry gently in her arms. "He doesn't sleep if we put him down, all he does is cry." Elizabeth said as if to explain both her actions and why the two girls were up so late with the child. Jamie piped up through her sobs.  
"More like you're too scared to put him down in case he disappears". Remus took both girls into his arms and promised silently that nothing would ever happen to these children on his watch.  
"Uncle Remus where's Dad? He said he'd be home after coming to get you." Jamie suddenly questioned.  
"He was right behind me. He'll be back soon I'm sure…" Remus trailed off as it dawned on him that that the Potter's house was shielded by the fidelius charm and, as far as he knew, Sirius was the secret keeper. He wouldn't betray the Potters, would he? A feeling of dread slowly crept through Remus until it settled in the pit of his stomach. It was Sirius' fault; he was the reason that James and Lily were dead.  
"Your dad… was the secret keeper wasn't he? I hate to even question his loyalty but is there any chance he told Voldemort?" Remus tentatively asked, knowing the girls would defend Sirius until the end.  
"No of course not, how could you even think that? It was the rat, Peter fucking Pettigrew!" Elizabeth scowled at her uncle, she knew he meant well but to question their father was a baseless accusation.

Before Elizabeth or Jamie could continue chewing their uncle out they were interrupted by a sudden screech from a ministry owl bearing a letter in his claws. When opened, the voice of Barty Crouch, head of the DMLE rang out in the silent flat:

 _Dear Miss E Black,_  
 _We regret to inform you that your father, Sirius Orion Black, has been arrested for the murder of one Mr. Peter Pettigrew on the night of October 31_ _st_ _1981\. The suspect in question is currently in transport to Azkaban to live out a life sentence. As Miss J Black is a minor not yet attending Hogwarts, someone will arrive in the next few days to assess your new living arrangements. If this arrangement is found to be unsuitable for a young child, Miss Black will be removed from your care and placed with your closest living relatives, the Malfoy family._  
 _Yours Sincerely,_  
 _Mr. Barty Crouch_  
 _Head of the DMLE_

As the voice cut off Remus hugged the young girl as she looked towards her elder sister with fear. "I don't want to go! Please don't let them take me away" She sobbed. Elizabeth looked at her little sister with stricken look on her face and tears in her eyes.  
"Sweetheart, with the way this letter sounds, it looks like they're going to find our _arrangement_ lacking no matter what we do to convince them. I'm so sorry but we may not have a choice." Elizabeth could imagine no greater pain than that caused by the terror on Jamie's face, but she knew that there was no way they could come out of this situation as a family no matter how hard they fought.

Remus saw that the girls were resigned to their new found fates and growled "I will not let the two of you be separated due to your father's stupidity. From here on in I will take care of you three, it's what your parents would have wanted. Regardless of what Sirius does, I will always love you three as will James and Lily."

*Time Skip 1 Month*

The newly discovered family of four found themselves at Lief Cottage. "So this is it, our new home. Liz are you sure this is what you want?" Remus asked the 18 year old uneasily, after all, who would want to be forced into forgoing their education after Hogwarts simply to care for a child that was not theirs?  
"Remus, I think between the two of us and Jamie we are perfectly capable of bringing up a child." Elizabeth replied, while holding Harry closely. Once assured, Lupin opened the front door.

Although the house was slightly small there was enough space to raise a child; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a decent sized living room and a kitchen diner. Jamie took Harry from Elizabeth and carried him into their room, while Remus and Elizabeth had what they called an 'adult conversation'. Once finished they split up, Remus headed for the kitchen and Elizabeth, after warning him not to touch the oven, approached her room. As she entered she gasped in shock as her, once tidy, room looked like what could only be described as a bomb site; clothes strewn all over the floor and a giggling one year old sitting in the middle of it all. As if appearing out of nowhere Jamie called "I've got days and you have nights!"  
"Damn it Jamie you're 10. Don't I get a say?" Elizabeth scowled at the grin on Jamie's face.  
"Nope. I've been keeping an eye on him since you went and excluded me from your little conversation with Remus and so now I get to decide when and where you have to take care of Harry." Elizabeth sighed in exasperation but realised that she truly had no say in the matter.

*Time Skip 4 years*

Entering the flat Elizabeth dropped the bags of shopping she was carrying in shock. "Look at my wall. LOOK AT MY WALL," Elizabeth growled in anger "Remus John Lupin you let a five year old near my wall with permanent marker. What happened last time you let Harry near _anything_ unsupervised?" Remus looked dejected and answered her quietly.  
"The house got a new colour scheme?"  
"And that is exactly my point!" She yelled. A loud wailing noise had Elizabeth rushing over to Harry. "No not you sweetie. THAT adult was supposed to keep you out of trouble" she rounded on Remus and asked "What was is this time, Dickens or Shakespeare?" Remus held the book up with a sheepish look and replied.  
"Neither… Eoin Colfer." In a flash the book went up in flames and Elizabeth stood there smirking maliciously.  
"This is why you don't mess with the walls." Elizabeth scowled "Oh and Remus, you owe me new ice cream."

*Time Skip to Christmas*

"Jamie, Jamie wake up." Harry squealed as he bounced on top of his elder sister, "It's Christmas!"  
"Geroff Harry, it's not Christmas till an acceptable time! Come here and go back to sleep" She lifted up the duvet and let her little brother snuggle in before drifting back to sleep. Only to be woken up ten minutes later by her child of an older sister.  
"JAMIE WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS" Scowling the younger girl sat up and glared as she hunted for her glasses.  
"I'm up! Dammit I'm up" Picking Harry up she carried him into the living room only for him to wiggle out of her arms and dive straight under the Christmas tree with a war cry of "PRESENTS". The girls watched on fondly as Remus stumbled from his bedroom towards the kitchen with a grunt that sounded suspiciously like "coffee".  
"Harry, you have to wait until everyone is here and at least partially awake okay? And then you can give everyone their presents" Elizabeth said gently. Harry grumbled but relented, coming to sit by his sisters as they waited for their dad to come out of his zombie like state. After his second cup of coffee, Remus rejoined his family in the living room prompting the black haired boy to once again break free from his sisters and go for the presents.

After presents were opened and wrapping paper destroyed, Jamie took it upon herself to make breakfast as her dad and sister hunted for batteries because, although they were wizards there was still no alternative and the little family never seemed to have any in. The peace of the morning was only broken with a banging from the kitchen that signaled to Elizabeth that, either breakfast was done or Jamie had broken something. As she entered the kitchen all she heard was, "Since when was that door fucking there?" She glanced up to see her sister hopping round rubbing her big toe which she had obviously stubbed on the door. "Breakfast is ready by the way" Jamie added as she glared at the pile of plates on the table.  
"I'll get the children, just make sure dad has his next cup of coffee ready okay!" Elizabeth said with a little smirk.

*Time skip to that evening*

They had put Harry to bed a short while ago and the three remaining family members curled up on their designated chairs; Remus nursing a cup of coffee while reclining on his lazy boy, Jamie sprawled across their couch with a mug of hot chocolate whilst Elizabeth was curled up in her armchair already on her second mug of hot chocolate. Their eyes were glued to the television watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with Elizabeth singing along quietly under her breath.

Soft footsteps padded down the hall as a red eyed Harry Potter walked into the room clutching his new dog plush. All three sets of eyes immediately swiveled to the child as Jamie dashed over to check if he was okay. "Harry? Harry honey what's wrong? Are you alright?" Jamie held his face in her hands and wiped away the fast flowing tears. Her quick movement sparked action in her sister and father figure as they rushed over to tend to the crying child. Remus was the first to try and guess what was upsetting Harry so much.  
"Harry, was it a nightmare? Is that what's gotten you so worked up?" Harry gave a small nod as Elizabeth picked him up and brought him back to his room with Remus and Jamie following.

The subject of what happened in his nightmare was not broached until Elizabeth had put Harry back in bed and the three sat down with him. "Honey, do you want to tell us what it was about?" Jamie asked, Harry looked petrified and shook his head vigorously before leaping into Remus' arms and nuzzling into his chest. Elizabeth and Jamie thought it best to leave the room and allow Remus time to comfort the child, so they returned to the living room to tidy up. Remus didn't leave Harry's room and, when the girls called in to check on him before going to bed themselves, they found Remus fast asleep with Harry curled comfortably on his chest. Both girls smiled softly before retiring to bed.

*Time Skip 2 years*

Harry glanced around in awe as he was pushed through the barrier to platform 9 ¾, he tried to speed up but was pulled back by the hand that was placed gently on his shoulders, "Harry, we've still got 10 minutes until the train arrives, we don't have to run" Remus said indulgently as he tried to hold onto the seven year old. Elizabeth followed behind them at a more sedate pace but still excited to see her little sister who was coming home for her last ever Easter holiday. Harry suddenly lurched forward as he saw the glistening red train finally arrive at the platform only to be pushed out of the way by a gaggle of red headed children followed by a screaming red headed demon. He felt his elder sister grab onto his shoulders and hold onto him with a fierce glare on her face that softened when she saw her little sister step off the train.  
"JAMIE" Harry bellowed and he sprinted towards his sister. "I've missed you so much!"  
"I've missed you too Harry." She looked back at her friends and waved goodbye before she picked up her little brother giving him a giant kiss on the cheek and holding him close. She hugged her father and her sister "Let's go home".


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** **Hello again readers, Hatter here. Sorry for the wait for this chapter but both Beyond and I started university in September and I have to admit I am still not used to the workload XD. Anyway, I won't bore you with details of what's been going on in life and should probably just let you get on with reading. As always please review and favourite, any flames will be used to fuel the pits of hell that haters burn in Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read this long overdue chapter. We hope to get the next chapter up soon.**

 **Disclaimer: As a pair, Beyond and I do not own Harry Potter. If we did we would probably not be writing fanfiction of it.**

*Time Skip 4 years*

Diagon Alley was bustling on the day the girls went shopping with Harry, granted it was only two weeks before the school year was due to start so there was an underlying frenzy to everyone's movements. Jamie and Harry had split off from their sister in order to sort out Harry's books in _Flourish and Blotts_ while Elizabeth went to investigate _Eeylops Owl Emporium_ to see if she could find a suitable pet for the black haired boy, she had already been to the _Magical Menagerie_ and was about ready to give up hope. Just before entering the store, the door swung out unexpectedly, sending the poor girl sprawling. A gruff voice sounded from above "Black, is that you? Oh sorry I didn't mean to knock yer down." A hand was offered to help the girl up and she smiled at the man.  
"Oh it's fine Hagrid, no harm done really. So what brings you to Diagon Alley, I thought you'd be at Hogwarts prepping for the start of the year." Elizabeth starting walking alongside Hagrid as they both entered the shop and began to browse.  
"Nothin' really, Dumbledore asked me to pick something up for 'im and since I was comin' here anyway I thought I'd get the lot of it done now. How about yerself?" Hagrid asked.  
"Jamie and I are just shopping with Harry for his school stuff. We left it a bit late so I'm just trying to see if there are any decent pets left for him to take." Elizabeth answered. Scanning the shelves she could see very few animals that Harry would find interesting, Hagrid piped up.  
"So you've got 'arry with you hey. If you don't mind I'd be happy to help you search, I think I saw somethin' over this way." Hagrid led Elizabeth to the left of the store and the two started talking about Elizabeth's new class for the year 'Care of Magical Creatures'. Once they got to where Hagrid wanted he pointed out a beautiful snowy owl that Elizabeth knew Harry would love. Hagrid refused to let the girl pay, saying that it would be his present for the boy's 11th birthday. The pair left the shop laughing with each other and reminiscing of the past few years they had been working together at the school.

*Meanwhile with Harry and Jamie*

Jamie and Harry entered Flourish and Blotts on a mission to buy Harry's school books and _only_ Harry's school books. Jamie tore their list in half and gave one of them to Harry with strict instructions to bring back those books and no more, granted with his puppy dog eyes Harry could con anything he wanted out of either sister. As Jamie reached out to grab a copy of 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration' a hand landed on top of hers, the hand belonged to non-other than Molly Weasley. Jamie took the book off the shelf and handed it to Molly with a strained smile, "Ah Mrs. Weasley, always a pleasure to see you before the start of the year." Jamie turned back to the shelf and took another copy of the book for herself and turned to find Harry, having finished her half of the list. "Harry? Where are you?" Jamie muttered to herself as she hunted around the store for the boy.

After looking through the entire store she finally caught sight of the black haired boy, she smiled in relief and started towards him before coming to a stop at seeing him chatting away with Ronald Weasley, Molly hanging around like a mother vulture. "Harry, there you are," Jamie said when she got to the boy "I thought I'd lost you for a second there," She turned to Molly who had a smirk on her face "Where did you see him?"  
"Well _dearie_ I was just heading to meet with Ron, we had sorted out a place to meet after deciding to split up, and I found the boys happily chatting away to each other. Naturally as I had no idea whose child it was I stayed with him until his guardian could arrive." Molly looked like the cat that caught the canary and smiled triumphantly at Jamie. Harry chose this moment to speak up to his sister.  
"Jamie, could we possibly travel to the station with Ron tomorrow? I really want to keep talking to him." Harry looked up at his sister with the devastating puppy dog eyes but Jamie was determined to remain resolute.  
"I don't think so sweetie, Liz has already booked travel for us. But I'm sure you'll see Ronald on the train so is it okay if you talk then?" Jamie asked, practically begging the boy to agree, Harry nodded and Jamie smiled at the two Weasleys. She steered herself and Harry out of the shop as soon as they had paid for the needed books, and a few extras that were not to be admitted to Elizabeth.

Harry and Jamie entered _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_ trying to show some enthusiasm despite being stuck in, in their opinion, Diagon Alley's most boring store. Jamie spoke to the lady at the desk before ushering Harry over to a fitting room, telling him she would be just outside in case she was needed. Harry was forced to stand in front of 3 angled mirrors whilst an employee took some measurements. 5 minutes into the torture of standing completely still with his arms raised continuously, Harry heard a small cry of indignation. Turning to find the source of the noise, he found a young blonde boy berating the woman measuring him; apparently the woman had accidentally stuck the boy with a pin and, to him, this was an inexcusable offense. Harry didn't really see an issue; the woman taking the measurements had apologised immediately, yet the boy simply could not let her forget her slip. Harry curled his lip and turned away.

As Harry left the fitting room he found Jamie talking to a man who looked remarkably like the boy he had just had the misfortune to meet. His sister's smile seemed even more strained in front of this person than it had been when she was forced to talk to Mrs Weasley. To save his sister, Harry quickly walked over and interrupted the man, "Jamie, I think Liz is waiting for us outside. Can we go for lunch and then come back later for the clothes?" Jamie gave her brother a relieved smile and ruffled his hair.  
"You know what Harry… you're absolutely right," she turned to the blonde man "Sorry Lucius. I'd _love_ to stay and chat but it's a family day out so _unfortunately_ I have to go. I'm sure you can understand" Jamie gave another strained smile.  
"Indeed." Lucius looked at Harry and Jamie in distaste before the two siblings practically ran from the store, only to find Elizabeth and Remus right outside the door.  
" _Merlin_ that's the second time today." Elizabeth grumbled whilst massaging her forehead that had just come into contact with yet another door. Remus smiled, amused, before ushering the three children away.  
"Come on kids. Let's go get some lunch shall we." The family linked arms before sauntering down the street, ready to enjoy what was left of their shopping day out.

*Two Weeks Later*

If you had looked into Lief Cottage on this very morning, you would have been privy to an odd sight. The normally tidy home looked a complete disaster; clothes all over the floor, a massive trunk in the middle and a frantic 11 year old Harry Potter looking for his potions book amongst the mess. "Harry we don't have time for this right now. We have to be leave for the train station in half an hour and your yelling isn't helpful." Elizabeth snapped. Flicking her wand, Harry's things started arranging themselves in his trunk to reveal the supposedly missing potions book. "Time to find my sister and get her to finish packing."  
"I've already packed. I packed _ages_ ago." Jamie popped her head out of her room glaring lightly at Elizabeth. Elizabeth walked closer to peer into her room noticing piles of shoes and knickknacks littering the floor.  
"Then what, dear sister are all of those?"  
"They're shoes and other important things that need a separate case."  
"And where would that case be located?"  
" _That_ is what I need to find," Jamie smirked before seeing her sister roll her eyes and let out an annoyed breath "Okay, okay I'll go ask dad." Deciding that this was probably the best thing to do as Elizabeth was glaring daggers at her, Jamie walked out of the room to go ask their adopted father "Dad, do you happen to have a spare suitcase I could borrow?"  
"Of course I do. I'm not the one leaving for over a year now am I?" Remus said dramatically.  
"Come on dad don't start this again. We'll only be gone a couple of months and then you know we'll be straight back." Elizabeth's voice could be heard from the living room, "Now if you guys don't mind then we need to go. Like _now_."

Entering King's Cross Station the family sped towards platform 9 ¾. Avoiding the jostling of people in the over-crowded station they dragged Harry behind them in the rush to get to the scarlet steam engine that would mark the boy-who-lived-to-have-his-name-hyphenated's first passage to Hogwarts. A gaggle of red heads were blocking the entrance to the platform as one of them stated "He's not Fred, I am!" Sighing, Jamie parked the luggage trolley and sat down ungracefully onto her trunk waiting for the pack of ginger people to move on.

*20 minutes later*

" _Finally_! I thought that was going to take all day, we could have missed the train." Remus muttered while grinning as he and the others eventually managed to make their way onto the platform. Elizabeth took the trolley to load their luggage on the train; the girls had elected to take the train to their jobs this year in order to see Harry off right before he got in the boats with the other first years.

Remus unfortunately had to say his farewells on the platform. He first turned to Harry, sweeping the boy up into a hug he held him, almost unwilling to let him go, "Harry, I want you to listen to me now for a moment. No matter what your blood ties are, I consider you a son to me. I know I'm being too emotional since I will definitely see you at Christmas but I just wanted you to know that. Now, pay attention in class, don't let your sisters get into too much trouble and if anyone ever tries to put you down, fight back." Remus was tearing up slightly at this point but he knew he had to say goodbye to his girls as well. Next he went to Jamie seeing a watery smile on her face "Be safe, look after your brother. Work well for Madam Pomfrey and, most of all, be the best that I know you can be" her smile broke and she began to laugh slightly before hugging her adopted father and kissing him on the cheek. At this point Elizabeth had come back from loading the bags onto the train. Knowing her dislike of sappy moments, Remus simply hugged her close and whispered "Good luck." Elizabeth felt tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, she smiled at her father figure as she broke the hug.

All of a sudden a whistle sounded and the girls and Harry practically ran to get on the train before it started to leave the station. They waved goodbye to Remus through the window before Jamie let Harry go to find his own seat whilst she and her sister headed to the teachers' compartment on the train.

*In Harry's Compartment*

Entering the compartment Harry grinned as he noticed that he had finally found an empty space on the busy train, placing his trunk in the overhead storage he sat down on one of the seats and pulled out a book, allowing himself to be sucked into the world of James Dashner's creation. Being enraptured by his book, Harry did not notice a small, timid looking boy enter and stare at the famous scar that was clearly on view branding him as the-boy-who-lived. "Have you seen a toad hopping by recently? He's my pet and I can't seem to find him." The boy asked Harry nervously. Receiving no answer he walked over and gently shook Harry who looked up and blinked owlishly, taken aback by the boy's sudden appearance. Placing the book aside he shook his head.  
"Sorry what was that? I was in my own world for a minute." Harry smiled apologetically and the boy seemed to gain confidence in his look.  
"Have you seen my toad Trevor he's gone missing?" he repeated his question.  
"Actually I haven't, sorry. Do you need help looking for him?" Harry asked politely.  
"Yes please, if you would it would make finding him much easier," both boys smiled as Harry got up to help search. "Oh I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Neville by the way, Neville Longbottom." Neville put his hand out and Harry shook it with a grin.  
"Hi Neville. I'm Harry Potter."  
"Everyone knows who you are. You're famous." Harry's smile dimmed slightly as he followed Neville down the train corridor; he wasn't really used to people calling him famous.

A short while later they bumped into a brown, wild haired witch. Neville walked up to her, an anxious look on his face, "Has anyone seen him Hermione?" He asked hopefully.  
"No, unfortunately no one has seen him or even offered to help look for Trevor." The girl replied. Neville looked at Harry's confused expression before realising that Harry probably had no idea who the girl was. "Oh Harry, this is my friend Hermione Granger. She's a muggle born witch but is smarter than most witches and wizards I know that are our age." Hermione turned and glanced at Harry with suspicion.  
"Harry…? You wouldn't happen to be _the_ harry Potter?" Her words sounded almost accusatory.  
"Yes I am, it's lovely to meet you. I was wondering if you and Neville wanted any help looking for Trevor." Harry met her glare with a calm face. Hermione's glare softened but as she opened her mouth to speak her words were cut off by an exclamation from a red headed child.  
"Harry there you are. I thought we were going to meet on the platform," Ron sounded relieved but, like Hermione earlier, his words seemed to carry a hint of accusation. He shook his head "Never mind. This way I found us a seat." Ron grabbed Harry's arm to take him to the compartment he found. Harry moved to follow Ron, before realising that he was still in the middle of a conversation. He took his arm back from Ron gently.  
"Sorry Ron but can we just stay for a minute? I'm just talking to some friends." Ron frowned, looking from Neville to Hermione and then back to Harry. He smirked.  
"Why would you want to be friends with ol' big ears here?" Ron said, pointing to Neville's slightly oversize ears "Now come on, let's go." He took hold of Harry's arm again. Harry scowled before ripping his arm from the redhead's grip, turning to face him instead.  
"How can you talk about someone like that? What allows you to judge who I should and shouldn't be friends with?" Ron started to stutter slightly in an attempt to take back what he'd said, but Harry had heard enough. "Sorry Ron but I like to choose my friends for myself. I'll see you in school." He smiled before turning away and walking with Hermione and Neville back to his compartment.

The three children remained silent for a second before Neville decided to speak up, "Thank you Harry, you didn't need to do that." Harry looked confused before answering.  
"Why wouldn't I? You're my friend and I will always be loyal to friends." Harry smiled at Neville.  
Hermione spoke up, "You know, you're not at all how I imagined you to be. I know I'm a muggleborn but even I have heard tales of the famous Harry Potter."  
"So what did you imagine I'd be like?" There was no edge in his voice, merely curiosity over how other people viewed him.  
"I don't exactly know. I guess I simply thought you'd be much more arrogant and self-confident than you've turned out to be." Hermione said softly, sounding apologetic as she finished speaking.  
"Why would you think that?" Harry asked.  
"Because you are the only person to ever have survived after being hit by the killing curse so I thought that you would act like some overconfident hero." Hermione stated.  
"Well that's not who I am. I was brought up by my sisters and adoptive dad, and I was taught that all wizards and witches my age, are worth getting to know and that even though I lived that does not mean that I am better than anyone else." Harry grinned brightly at his two friends.  
"Wow, your family's smart." Neville exclaimed. Hermione and Harry laughed. The three of them moved away from such topic of conversation, instead choosing to talk about anything and everything they could think of, from spells to books.

*Time Skip 1 Hour*

"Well sister dearest shall we go see our dear sweet brother?" Elizabeth had become bored of sitting in the teacher's compartment and was looking for any chance to leave before Flitwick started another one of his many lectures on the proper way to act as role models in the school. Grinning madly the sisters managed to sneak out of the compartment and began to make their way down the train. Glancing up and down the corridor Jamie walked with her back to the wall as she advanced, moving down the corridor as if she were some sort of spy on a secret mission. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and gave her sister an odd look, "Jamie, what in Merlin's name are you doing?"  
"STOP, DROP AND ROLL!" Jamie cried as she rolled on her side passing an open compartment door and swept her arms out in front of her with her fist shaped like a pretend gun. "Mission Improbable is complete!"  
"How's mission you're an idiot doing?"  
"Like a boss." Jamie smirked. "Look Liz, it's the rare species also known as the gingers."  
"Gingers? Where do we know gingers from? Gingers, gingers, gingers! WEASLEYS!" Elizabeth cried.  
"SCREAM AND RUN!" Jamie yelled. Both girls were quick to retreat from the situation at hand to prevent themselves from being caught by another teacher. They were speed walking down the corridor when a mop of black hair poked out of one of the compartments behind them.  
"Err… guys over here." The girls turned quickly in shock before smiling widely and rushing over.  
"Harry! We found you!" Elizabeth exclaimed.  
"I haven't really left the compartment but okay. Liz, Jamie these are my friends Neville and Hermione." Harry said sheepishly running a hand through his hair and managing to make it even messier than before.  
"Liz, Lizzy look there's a girl. Harry has a girlfriend, ooh our little man is all grown up." Jamie smiled with glee, whipping an imaginary tear from her eye. Elizabeth smirked before pointing in a random direction knowing that they had embarrassed Harry enough for this moment.  
"Jamie look there's a toad, go fetch." Scowling and muttering, Jamie walked away talking about knives and thumb screws and stupid older sisters. "Sorry about her. She had a bit too much sugar and not enough sleep, something about not enough room for her shoes." Elizabeth smiled at Harry before turning to follow her sister back to the teachers' compartment hoping Flitwick hadn't realised that they left.

Turning back around, Harry looked at his friends before sighing and returning to his seat. "Sorry about my sisters, they can be a bit over the top… but I think they saw Trevor." Harry looked to the door as it was slammed open by the same blonde haired boy he met in Madam Malkin's when getting his robes measured. The boy held his head high and smirked with contempt at the four 11 year olds in the compartment.  
"I heard Harry Potter was on the train, have you seen him?" The ferret faced boy asked, although the way he spoke made it sound like a demand.  
"Oh hi there you scared me. No we haven't seen him, not since the station this morning." Harry said, Neville spoke in agreement and Harry smirked, happy with the new friends he had managed to find in such a short time. The blonde huffed loudly.  
"So you're all not worth my time." Leaving in the same manner he entered the boy stalked off. Shortly after the encounter a voice came from overhead and filled the train.  
"We will soon be approaching Hogwarts station, can all members of staff prepare to disembark before students. Thank you." The voice cut off and the three friends smiled to each other, ready to start a new chapter of their lives together.


End file.
